1854, 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
245 
confined to the Compositae, of which I could give ma¬ 
ny other examples. Among the Cruciferoe the wild 
mustard (Sinapis arvensis) produces many hundreds of 
pods, each with several seeds, yet I have a perfect 
specimen but little over an inch high, and I have ob¬ 
served many not over three or four inches high, grow¬ 
ing in hard soils, perfecting seeds there to germinate 
and overrun the field when the circumstances are more 
favorable. 
One more example will suffice. The common mul¬ 
lein (Verbascum thas^us) often springs up so abundant¬ 
ly that some have supposed it “ a spontaneous produc¬ 
tion not originating in all cases from seeds.” (I won¬ 
der that no one has advanced the theory that it is meta¬ 
morphosed wheat; it often spring sup most abundantly 
on wheat stubbles that have not been seeded down, or 
new land, and I know of no law that will change wheat 
to chess that will not carry it farther and produce 
mulleins.) The seeds of this plant are very light, and 
although not furnished with wings or down like thistles 
and some other seeds; are easily blown a considerable 
distance by high winds. They are produced in almost 
incredible numbers. In August last I noticed one by 
no means a very large one, still blooming and growing, 
which would most undoubtedly have grown larger if 
not destroyed. The main spike of lowers and seeds 
was about three and a half or four feet long, with three 
smaller lateral ones. This plant bore about 1500 (as 
proved by actual counting) fertile capsules of seeds, 
besides many barren ones. The seeds of several were 
counted under a microscope, and all counted contained 
over 500 good seeds each; one largeone contained 680. 
Allow an average of but 400 per capsule, a number I 
think not too high, and we have a yield of 600,000 
seeds on this single plant! . At this rate, one plant 
would seed 14 acres, having the seeds but a foot apart, 
and a gill sown, producing in the same ratio, would 
yield over 2300 bushels ! 
Further illustrations of this kind are needless. I 
bring up these to show how much a single plant may 
do, and hence the extreme care with which they should 
be prevented from going to seed, and also the flexibili¬ 
ty of their natures, adapting them to most unfavora- 
cle circumstances of growth, yet ready to come forth 
when these circumstances are changed for the better— 
and also the necessity of more than one plan of opera¬ 
tions to kill them. I would like to say more of the 
length of time that some seeds will lay in soil and still 
grow, and also the means of recognizing some of the 
most noxious weeds, not yet everywhere common, but I 
have already extended this to an unintentional length. 
Yours truly, Wm. II. Brewer. Ovid , N. Y., June 
16th, 1854. —— 
Large Herd of Cattle. —B. P. Johnson, Sec’y 
1ST. Y; State Ag. Soc’y, who recently made a tom- 
through western states, says that one gentleman in 
southern Illinois, has a herd of 1,900 cattle,, and that 
is about the usual number he keeps. They would form 
an interesting sight arranged in rank and file ; and 
placed closely side by side, as oxen are when yoked, 
would extend in an unbroken rank of more than one 
mile in breadth. 
Time for Cutting Buckwheat. 
Messrs. Editors —Will you do me the favor to in¬ 
form me at what season of its growth, it is best to cut 
buckwheat. It continues growing and blossoming with 
us, long after the first grains are ripe, even after the 
lower part is brown and the leaves dead, (of course I 
mean the lower leaves,) I am therefore puzzled to 
know when it should be cut, as it is seldom sown here, 
though it both grows well and produces well. Bo 
the lower or first ripened grains drop off or do they 
adhere until cut I I will be glad of any information 
relative to the harvesting and preparing the grain for 
nse. J. D. L. Aiken , S. C., June, 1854. 
It is hard to give a precise rule for the best time to 
cut buckwheat. The grain continues to ripen success¬ 
ively, and while most of the stalks remain green or 
succulent, these grains will not drop off. It is there¬ 
fore best to let the crop remain so long as the amount 
continues to increase by successively ripening portions. 
But as soon as the plant loses its fresh appearance, and 
the first ripened portions are found to separate easily, 
no time should be lost in cutting. The rule with some 
farmers in the north, is to allow the crop to stand till 
the first night frost, and then to cut as quickly as pos¬ 
sible, before the shelling process commences. But when 
frosts do not come early, it is cut before. As soon as 
the stalks are dead or dry, buckwheat threshes with 
great ease, but not before ; hence the reason that when 
but partly dried, it is often found so difficult to thresh. 
At the north, it is usually sown during the early part 
of summer, sometimes nearly as late as midsummer ; 
if sown too early, the grain does not set so well. 
Stock Barns. 
Messrs. Editors —A subscriber, in a recent num¬ 
ber of your valuable paper, inquires for the best plan 
of a convenient bam for the accommodation of stock. 
If not the best, the following description applies to a 
very convenient one for the purpose designated. 
The width on the ground should be sufficient for a 
floor, with stables on each side, running the whole 
length of the bam, and the length should be in pro¬ 
portion to the amount of stock requiring stable-room 
in it. 
Above the stables, the two sides should project from 
six to eight feet. The object of the projection is to 
give more room above for hay, stalks, grain, &c., and, 
at the same time, protect the manure thrown out from 
the stables below. There should be a cellar under the 
floor for storing roots; the stable floor maybe made 
tight, and the urine conducted by gutters, at the foot 
of the stables, into capacious cisterns convenient for 
pumping into the compost heap. Or, if not wanted for 
that purpose, the liquid manure collected may be car¬ 
ried out in water-carts and applied by irrigation ; whats 
ever use is made of it, it is more convenient in cistern- 
than vats under the stables. 
The covering should be made tight for warmth, and 
painted to give neatness, beauty and durability. 
Such a barn will certainly accommodate more stock, 
than the same number of feet of inclosure in an octa¬ 
gonal form as figured and recommended in a late num¬ 
ber of the “ People's Journal It may be more 
convenient to feed stock arranged in a circle, but such 
convenience is purchased at the expense of waste room 
at the foot of the stalls. O. C. G- 
